Roof, Slide and Awning
RV Awning Repair and Replacement Serving Long Beach
About 10 min left
RV awning repair covers fabric replacement, arm and mechanism repair, motor and sensor faults, and full assembly replacement on Carefree, Dometic and Solera systems. At OCRV Center fabric replacement runs $400 to $2,500 and arm or motor work runs $500 to $3,500.
Awning failures divide neatly into two categories: things that wore out and things that got destroyed by wind. The first is fabric that has gone brittle under ultraviolet exposure and finally split along a fold line. The second is an awning left out during a gust, and it never damages only the fabric.
Wind damage bends arms, twists the roller tube and frequently tears the mounting rail out of the sidewall. Quoting a wind damaged awning as a fabric job is how a repair turns into a surprise.
Fabric Replacement and Material Choice
Awning fabric comes in vinyl and acrylic. Vinyl is waterproof, easy to clean and the common factory choice, but it is heavier and can mildew if rolled up wet. Acrylic breathes, resists ultraviolet degradation better and dries faster, but it is water resistant rather than waterproof.
In Long Beach, where marine layer moisture is a daily reality but heavy rain is not, acrylic is often the better choice because rolling up damp is a routine occurrence and vinyl punishes it.
Measuring for Replacement Fabric
Awning fabric is sized by the awning rail length, not by the fabric that came off, because a stretched or previously mis sized fabric gives a wrong number.
We measure the rail and confirm against the manufacturer and model, since a fabric an inch too short will not seat in the roller channel and one too long will bind.
Arms, Springs and Roller Tubes
Manual awning arms carry heavy torsion springs, and those springs store enough energy to cause real injury during disassembly. This is a genuine reason not to attempt arm work at home.
Bent arms from wind events are sometimes straightenable and sometimes not, depending on where the bend is and whether the pivot bores have deformed. A bent roller tube is not repairable in any practical sense and gets replaced, because a tube that is out of round will not roll evenly and will tear new fabric.
Motors, Sensors and Controllers
Powered awnings add a motor, limit switches and often a wind sensor. A motor that hums without moving is usually a seized gearbox rather than a dead motor. An awning that extends partway and stops is usually a limit switch out of adjustment.
Wind sensors fail in both directions. A sensor that has stopped working leaves the awning out in a gust, and one that is oversensitive retracts the awning on a calm afternoon. Both are worth correcting rather than living with.
Mounting Rail and Sidewall Damage
The awning rail is fastened through the sidewall, and every one of those fasteners is a water entry point. On a wind damaged awning the rail is frequently pulled partly out, which opens all of them at once.
We inspect and reseal the rail on every awning job. Where the sidewall has been damaged or the substrate behind it is soft, that repair comes first, because a rail refastened into rotted substrate will pull out again.
What Is Included
- Full assembly inspection rather than fabric only assessment
- Fabric sized from the awning rail length and verified against make and model
- Arm, spring, pivot and roller tube condition checked for wind damage
- Motor, limit switch and wind sensor function tested on powered units
- Mounting rail fasteners inspected and resealed
- Sidewall substrate around the rail checked for softness and rot
- Full extend and retract cycle test before release
Our Process
- 1
Assembly Inspection
Fabric, arms, springs, roller tube, hardware and mounting rail all assessed, not just the visible failure.
- 2
Damage Classification
Wear failure versus wind event determined, since wind damage almost always extends beyond the fabric.
- 3
Measurement
Fabric sized from the rail length and confirmed against the manufacturer specification.
- 4
Disassembly
Torsion springs safely released and the assembly taken down under controlled conditions.
- 5
Component Repair
Arms straightened or replaced, roller tube replaced if out of round, motors and switches serviced.
- 6
Rail Service
Mounting rail fasteners checked, substrate verified sound and the rail resealed.
- 7
Installation and Cycle Test
Fabric installed, tension set and the awning cycled fully several times before release.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you repair the awning on my pop up camper?
Yes. Pop up and hard side pop up campers use lighter awning assemblies, often with a bag awning or a simple roller and arm setup, and both fabric and hardware are serviceable. Fabric replacement on these runs $400 to $900. The thing worth checking on a pop up is the mounting, since the sidewall is thinner than on a hard side coach and rail fasteners pull out more easily.
How long does it take to repair a damaged awning on a fifth wheel?
A straightforward fabric replacement takes one to two days once the correct fabric is in hand. Arm or roller tube replacement takes two to four days. A wind damaged assembly where the mounting rail pulled out of the sidewall takes a week or more, because the sidewall repair has to be completed and cured before the rail can be reset. Fabric availability for older or unusual sizes is the most common source of delay.
Should I choose vinyl or acrylic awning fabric?
In Long Beach conditions, acrylic is usually the better choice. Vinyl is waterproof and easy to clean, but it mildews if it gets rolled up damp, and with a daily marine layer that happens constantly. Acrylic breathes and dries fast, resists ultraviolet degradation better, and tolerates being rolled up slightly damp. The tradeoff is that acrylic is water resistant rather than fully waterproof in sustained rain.
My awning motor hums but nothing moves. Is the motor dead?
Usually not. A motor that hums under power is receiving current and trying to turn, which most often means a seized gearbox rather than a failed motor. The other common cause is a mechanical bind in the arms, frequently from a previous wind event that left a subtle deformation. We check the gearbox and the arm geometry before condemning the motor, because the motor is the expensive part and it is often fine.
Awning Repair and Replacement is performed in shop at OCRV Center, 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887, serving Long Beach, California and the surrounding region. Call (949) 799-3387 to discuss your vehicle.
Get Your Vehicle Looked At Properly
Call the shop, describe what happened, and we will tell you what the realistic scope and timeline look like. All work is performed in shop at our 35,000 square foot facility.